Soccer: Under-17s face Japan as underdogs

Aaron McFarland. Photo / Natalie Slade

There will be no surprises when Aaron McFarland's Young All Whites line up against Japan this morning in their cut-throat bid for a place in the quarter-finals at Fifa's Under-17 World Cup in Mexico.

McFarland's sidekick Ramon Tribulietx will have analysed the Japanese and formulated a game plan to spring yet another upset.

The coaching staff will be all too aware that the clever Japanese,who shocked fancied Argentinaen route to winning group B, willstick with their slick short-passing game and speedy counterattack.

That, coupled with their undoubted technical ability and clinical finish, will have them starting the match as pronounced favourites.

But Luke Adams-led New Zealand will be more concerned about sticking to their game plan and will look for more of what they produced in beating eventual group D winners Uzbekistan 4-1 in a thrilling opener.

"We just have to focus on ourselves and the way we play football," said Adams, who has marshalled a compact defence that has conceded just two goals in 270 minutes of football.

"We don't have a lot of individual stars but we're committed to playing as a team. Our style is suited to the knockout rounds as we go all-out all the time."

In goalkeeper Scott Basalaj, Adams, Tim Payne, Jesse Edge and Stephen Carmichael, New Zealand have some standouts.

Through to the last 16 for the second successive tournament at this level, it will not be easy for them to go further than any New Zealand team has managed but it would be a major surprise if they surrendered as meekly as the team in Nigeria two years ago when beaten 5-0 by the hosts.

The game in Monterrey is live on SS1 from 11am.